“Artists who cleverly use participatory moments can make bold statements about the boundaries between performer and spectator, onstage and off. … But all the experiences I’ve loved have had something in common: They’ve given audiences a choice. A few weeks back, I had a starkly different experience.” Lauren Wingenroth describes what went wrong with that experience (Boris Charmatz’s 10000 Gestures, if you want to know), and suggests one simple step performers could take to avoid crossing the line from challenging to obnoxious or worse.
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‘It’s Something Of A Counter-Museum’ — American Poetry Museum Operates Without Exhibition Space
Board chair Jon West-Bey, who developed the institution based on his graduate thesis: “We wanted to put programs before space. We didn’t want to be the type of place where we said, ‘If we build it, they’ll come.’ It was more, ‘We’ll come to you.'”
Huge Old Master Painting, Divided For Centuries, Reunited At Last
“The three sections of The Van Campen Family in a Landscape (1623-1625) [by Frans Hals] that have been located — including a piece from a private collection in Europe that was discovered to be a part of the painting a few years ago — [have been] reunited for the first time in an exhibition [at the Toledo Museum of Art].”
Professor Convicted For Embezzling Sentenced To Play Piano In Senior Homes
“[Dr. Alexander] Neumeister admitted in June to stealing roughly $87,000 while working for New York University, according to court records. … [A federal judge ruled that] must play piano for at least an hour, twice a week at facilities for the elderly in Hartford, New Haven, Waterbury and Bridgeport for the next three years.”
New York City Ballet Promotes Dancers To Begin Rebuilding After Scandal
“New York City Ballet, which forced out three male stars this year after a nude-photo-sharing scandal, is replenishing its ranks: The company announced Saturday that it was promoting seven dancers, including Joseph Gordon, who was named a principal dancer.”
Rembrandt’s ‘Night Watch’ To Get Major Restoration — And You Can Watch The Conservators At Work
“[The director of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam] said it was expected to be a slow and intricate project, which would take several years and cost millions of euros. … The public will be invited to watch the intimate conservation process, both up close in the gallery itself and via an internet livestream, in what is believed to be the biggest ever undertaking of its kind.”
Hit Film Inspires Hundreds Of Survivors Of Abuse By Polish Priests To Come Forward
“Based on real events, Kler (The Clergy), by the director Wojciech Smarzowski, which includes testimonies of survivors, features an alcoholic priest who encourages his lover to have an abortion, a priest accused of abusing a young boy, a senior cleric engaged in corruption and blackmail, and a grotesque, foul-mouthed archbishop cutting deals with politicians and mobsters, all operating with impunity.” Despite denunciations by conservative laypeople and churchmen, the film is breaking box office records and encouraged many victims to speak out.
Greece Is Finally Crawling Out Of Its Economic Disaster — What’s Next For Its Art World?
“Since Greece officially ended its decade-long economic bailout this summer, its government has been tentatively moving forward with plans to ease austerity measures on its citizens. … We asked figures from Greece’s art world to reflect on the economic crisis and its effect on the arts, and to look towards the future.”
Lyric Opera Of Chicago Orchestra Strike Is Over — What Did The Strikers Get Out Of It?
Not that much. “In two major respects — fewer weeks of work and a smaller permanent orchestra — the agreement was in line with what management had been seeking. But the musicians noted that … further cancellations would be destructive for everyone involved; and that a long strike would hurt their colleagues in the company’s other unions, which had already agreed to new labor deals when the orchestra walked out.”
Cellist Gets Back The Cello That Took Bullets For Him
“They don’t love the music, because they told me this is haram (forbidden). [They said] you work with the U.S.A … this is [like the] Army,” recounted Tariq Abdul Razzac. The militants were armed, and as Razzac attempted to flee, they shot at him. His cello, strapped to his back, absorbed the shots. The bullets pierced through its hard case and passed through the cello — causing extreme damage and rendering it practically useless.